2001 KIA Sportage Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sportage years
- More complaints than other years 8th of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 228 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 KIA Sportage. That ranks 8th out of 31 Sportage model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is fuel system, gasoline (50 complaints, 22%), typically at around 70,000 miles. Complaints mention 25 crashes, 4 fires, 17 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
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- 228owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 25complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2001 KIA Sportage problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel System, Gasoline problems | 50 | 22% | 70,000 | “fuel tank” (36%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 45 | 20% | 40,056 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 25 | 11% | 24,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 24 | 11% | 95,502 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 23 | 10% | 34,797 | — | — |
| Power Train | 22 | 10% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 20 | 9% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 20 | 9% | 65,500 | — | — |
| Visibility | 17 | 7% | 35,488 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 5% | 18,884 | — | — |
| Equipment | 10 | 4% | 2,884 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 9 | 4% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 8 | 4% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 7 | 3% | 67,119 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 7 | 3% | 12,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 2% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 2% | 61,134 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 4 | 2% | 9,312 | — | — |
| Seats | 4 | 2% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 3 | 1% | 92,954 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 1% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 0% | 92,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 0% | 74,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 0% | 20,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2001 KIA Sportage recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 2001 KIA Sportage.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Fuel tank leakage (EA06007) — opened May 9, 2006, closed Nov 30, 2007.
- Seat belt buckle false latch/malfunction (RQ03007) — opened Oct 14, 2003, closed Feb 27, 2004, led to recall 04V305000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I bought the car 2 weeks after i left dealer started noticing a smell of gas though was. Because just put gas in .then when turned on heat smell would get worse ! A few days ago went to fill gas and a lot gas over.filled onto ground not able to figure out why the smell gas so strong inside car its…
Bought this vehicle with only 11k miles from an elderly couple that hardly drove it. Now at 21k miles, there is a gas smell coming inside the vehicle and also outside of the vehicle. Has a rough idle and gas spews out of tank while i'm pumping gas. The front passenger tire sounds like it's about to…
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 kia sportage. While driving at approximately 20 mph, the vehicle begin to shake, the brake warning indicator illuminated, and the brakes failed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the frame was corroded and needed to be replaced…
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 kia sportage. While driving at various speeds, fuel fumes emitted into the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed fuel leaking from the fuel tank. The failure recurred continuously. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was…
Just purchased this car for my teen...when filling gas tank it begins to spew out onto him . Are the person filling the tank.also a bad smell of fumes inside of car,,,,please help the problem....*js
Other KIA Sportage years
← 2000 Sportage · 2002 Sportage →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Sportage | 27 | 1 |
| 2025 Sportage | 54 | 1 |
| 2024 Sportage | 73 | 3 |
| 2023 Sportage | 192 | 6 |
| 2022 Sportage | 46 | 1 |
| 2021 Sportage | 54 | 2 |
| 2020 Sportage | 162 | 2 |
| 2019 Sportage | 70 | 2 |
| 2018 Sportage | 164 | 3 |
| 2017 Sportage | 401 | 4 |
| 2016 Sportage | 134 | 2 |
| 2015 Sportage | 146 | 2 |
| 2014 Sportage | 124 | 3 |
| 2013 Sportage | 381 | 3 |
| 2012 Sportage | 392 | 5 |
| 2011 Sportage | 181 | 6 |
| 2010 Sportage | 20 | 2 |
| 2009 Sportage | 80 | 3 |
| 2008 Sportage | 98 | 3 |
| 2007 Sportage | 77 | 2 |
| 2006 Sportage | 111 | 1 |
| 2005 Sportage | 68 | 3 |
| 2003 Sportage | 4 | 0 |
| 2002 Sportage | 234 | 1 |
| 2001 | 228 | 0 |
| 2000 Sportage | 304 | 2 |
| 1999 Sportage | 284 | 3 |
| 1998 Sportage | 303 | 3 |
| 1997 Sportage | 181 | 3 |
| 1996 Sportage | 57 | 3 |
| 1995 Sportage | 56 | 2 |
See all KIA Sportage problems by year, every KIA model, or the KIA VIN decoder.
Similar KIA models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2001 KIA Sportage?
Owners most often report fuel system, gasoline, engine and engine cooling, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, fuel system, gasoline, accounts for 50 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2001 KIA Sportage?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 2001 KIA Sportage a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Sportage model years, the 2001 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.